In England, a solicitor is a lawyer. In La Jolla, Calif., a lawyer is alleged to be a solicitor, not in the legal sense, but in the decidedly illegal sense. Lawyer Steven R. Liss, 53, has been arrested on suspicion of trying to hire someone to kill his wife, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. The family-law practitioner apparently decided that divorce court was not his best option and instead sought the help of others to have his wife killed, police said. The newspaper reports that Liss has twice had his law license suspended and has had numerous complaints filed against him by clients.

Up the California coast in Santa Ana, bankruptcy lawyer Ralph Gibson Pagter Jr., 49, was arrested after he allegedly tried to use a large hunting knife to stab a process server, the Los Angeles Times reports. When the process server came to Pagter's home, the lawyer allegedly confronted the man, threatened him and tried to stab him. The man fled and called police, who arrested Pagter on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. He was later released on $25,000 bail.

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis, 42-year-old lawyer Johann Scott Scrimshire was taking advantage of the summer weather to get in some bike riding. Only problem was, his parts were exposed -- and I don't mean bike parts. Police arrested Scrimshire and cited him for indecent exposure after someone called 911 and reported a man on a bicycle exposing himself to walkers and joggers, according to the Star-Tribune (via MinnLawyer Blog). They found Scrimshire "wearing a skirt-like garment or a pair of shorts with the crotch area removed." Scrimshire offered police a perfectly reasonable explanation for his attire: he was training for a naked bicycle race.

In St. Joseph County, Indiana, Judge Roger L. Huizenga has been publicly admonished by the Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications, Legal Profession Blog reports. The judge was cited for various instances of ethical wrongdoing. Of particular note was the judge's choice of court clerk -- his wife. He employed her as such from 1995 to 2009. "However, after the initiation of the Commission's investigation," the announcement explains, Judge Huizenga did cooperate with the Commission by encouraging his wife to resign, which she ultimately did." Must have made for interesting dinner conversation at the Huizenga household.

Comments

Misbehaving Lawyers

In England, a solicitor is a lawyer. In La Jolla, Calif., a lawyer is alleged to be a solicitor, not in the legal sense, but in the decidedly illegal sense. Lawyer Steven R. Liss, 53, has been arrested on suspicion of trying to hire someone to kill his wife, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. The family-law practitioner apparently decided that divorce court was not his best option and instead sought the help of others to have his wife killed, police said. The newspaper reports that Liss has twice had his law license suspended and has had numerous complaints filed against him by clients.

Up the California coast in Santa Ana, bankruptcy lawyer Ralph Gibson Pagter Jr., 49, was arrested after he allegedly tried to use a large hunting knife to stab a process server, the Los Angeles Times reports. When the process server came to Pagter's home, the lawyer allegedly confronted the man, threatened him and tried to stab him. The man fled and called police, who arrested Pagter on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. He was later released on $25,000 bail.

Meanwhile, in Minneapolis, 42-year-old lawyer Johann Scott Scrimshire was taking advantage of the summer weather to get in some bike riding. Only problem was, his parts were exposed -- and I don't mean bike parts. Police arrested Scrimshire and cited him for indecent exposure after someone called 911 and reported a man on a bicycle exposing himself to walkers and joggers, according to the Star-Tribune (via MinnLawyer Blog). They found Scrimshire "wearing a skirt-like garment or a pair of shorts with the crotch area removed." Scrimshire offered police a perfectly reasonable explanation for his attire: he was training for a naked bicycle race.

In St. Joseph County, Indiana, Judge Roger L. Huizenga has been publicly admonished by the Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications, Legal Profession Blog reports. The judge was cited for various instances of ethical wrongdoing. Of particular note was the judge's choice of court clerk -- his wife. He employed her as such from 1995 to 2009. "However, after the initiation of the Commission's investigation," the announcement explains, Judge Huizenga did cooperate with the Commission by encouraging his wife to resign, which she ultimately did." Must have made for interesting dinner conversation at the Huizenga household.